DURHAM — One of the current logos for the University of New Hampshire will undergo a total makeover as a decision is made on three potential new designs to create a new visual identity for the institution.

The logo will replace the current image of the tower of Thompson Hall, which depicts the Durham campus. The official university seal and the athletic wildcat logo will not be altered and this new image has been designed to tie all three images, and campuses, together.

The Thompson Hall tower has been used as a logo for more than a decade, but according to Media Relations Director Erika Mantz, the university is seeking a new modern design to appeal to students both nationally and internationally.

“We need to compete nationally and internationally for students and dollars,” she said.

Though the work is ongoing, the cost is anticipated to be between $91,400 and $108,200. She said the project was identified by the president's cabinet as being overdue and crucial.

Mantz said the project is funded by a discretionary fund with privately raised dollars.

Unveiled recently during a presentation by the UNH Communications and Marketing Department and design firm Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv of New York, the three concepts remain in the traditional UNH colors of blue and white and emphasize the “NH” to represent the state.

The official new logo will be unveiled in the fall.

The firm has created identities for many institutions of higher education, including New York University, Middlebury College and Cornell University, according to Mantz.

Graphic designer Tom Geismar said a lot of input was taken from students, faculty, and staff to come up with the right design to represent the school.

“We talked to a lot of people to soak up the flavor (and) personality of the institution,” he said.

Sagi Haviv, a graphic designer, said there were three important criteria considered when designing the image: that the new logo underscores tradition as a basis for looking to the future; is attractive, accessible, and visible; and tells potential students “We are one university on three campuses.”The first idea is a blue and white outline of the letter “U” with the letters “NH” positioned within it. This design, like each of the three is abstract.

“When you have a mark like this I can imagine that people would be proud to wear it,” he said, showing slides of different uses of the logo, from business cards to collegiate attire.

The second concept builds on the idea of initials, he explained but takes the abstract image a bit farther pushing the letters “NH” closer together and encased within the letter “U.”

The third image depicts the fact that the university is one of few in the country to hold sea, land and space grants. The image looks like a shield with dots representing the space grant, straight lines evoking the idea of a field for agriculture and the land grant, and waves to represent the sea grant.

“All of these will be something the university will also grow into,” Haviv said.